The Bizarre Stories of Mario Party Games

The Mario Party series of course mostly has multiplayer fun to thank for it's popularity and sales numbers, but plenty of titles in the series also feature a decent chunk of single player content. In fact, especially the older titles, has their own stories, complete with original characters. With Super Mario Party Jamboree coming up, I figured why not take a look back at the Mario Party stories of the past, only to find out the plots tend to be...quite something.
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#mario #marioparty

[@lilwartank1]

Fun fact: Mario Party 1's canonical SuperStar was Wario since he begins Mario Party 2 adamant that it should be WarioLand since "he was the superstar" in the opening cutscene Similarly Mario Party 2 was won by Mario since its called MarioLand canonically And Mario Party 3 was won by Luigi though thats the only one not outright said but strongly implied. During the story Luigi takes the place of any character you're playing as but if you choose Luigi all the characters are in their natural spots and he is the best candidate that fits most of the stickers you collect After 3 though its a lot less noticeable who might have won the previous Mario Party but I always thought it was neat the 64 games had canonical winners and losers (also I find it hilarious wario won the first game)

[@Mario87456]

You forgot to mention though in Mario Party 3 the only characters Luigi cannot take the place of are Daisy and Waluigi, two characters that have a strong association with him with the former being his love interest and the latter being his rival.

[@cx8qrazza828]

Wario was the first one in the race toward the pipe, and Mario Party is generally about hoarding coins, random mini-games, and sabotaging everyone else. All of those are things Wario excels at, considering his solo adventures, so honestly it tracks that he won out of the cast he was with at the time.

[@seandwalsh3]

Mario Party Superstars’ setup is essentially to find the Superstar among Superstars - with 10 characters for 10 previous Mario Party games. If we assume each of these characters won one Mario Party each, this means Donkey Kong must’ve won Mario Party 4 (his only appearance after the first three) and Rosalina won Mario Party 10. Peach, Yoshi, Daisy, Waluigi and Birdo would’ve won the other games, though it’s unclear who won which ones.

[@BriceTerry04]

As a Canadian once said "MARIO PARTY HAS CANNON!?!"

[@andytekampe8748]

Lol I’ll never get over the way Bowser just punts the star space in Superstars after Toad is just whisked away by the Cheep Chomp.

[@quangamershyguyyz7166]

Toadette

[@andytekampe8748]

@@quangamershyguyyz7166 You’re right. I instinctively say Toad because of classic. Haha

[@robertlauncher]

“Yo, get this outta here!”

[@ranpan6082]

As weird as this sounds, the story modes in this series were always a highlight for me. I loved the Bowser fights in 4, 5, and 7, and getting to battle the Millennium Star in 3 was a lot of fun. And I loved how the GameCube entries in particular handled the story, as well as introducing original and returning characters. I even have a soft spot for 9, love the boss battles. I'm really hoping that Jamboree will have a proper story mode.

[@jessaminemanchester]

Same here about the story mode for 9. I know it's nowhere near the golden age of Mario Party, and I haven't played it in so long so this might be nostalgia talking, but it just felt so cinematic that I can't make myself dislike the game on the same level as some of the other weak eras. I wish the theme had extended to the boards like DS (the best story mode) but even the shooting stars on the home screen and the constellations you could unlock were such a vibe that 9 will always be one of my favorites (and hey the volcano board was at least interesting)

[@runningoncylinders3829]

I like when the one Koopa Kid in the middle introduces himself as “the handsome one” causing the other two to slap the back of his face. XD

[@Piggamer-oq7fu]

6:05 " it's fashionable but not very functional. Like Luigi!" THIS GAME IS BRUTAL.

[@ivanzoneBR24]

Wow no love at all for Mario Party 9 Story Mode? This is one of my favorites, It has Shy Guy and Kamek as rivals, you have to beat at all costs, the funny cutscenes of Bowser and Bowser Jr talking and revealing the bosses, the actual boss battles and even has a ranking system for each time you beat the story.

[@thegreatkamekus4524]

@@ivanzoneBR24 I agree I also like 9’s story

[@GlitchanBlack]

Yeah, the hate over the car is just beating a dead horse by now.

[@durandlewis1382]

Hold on, there's a RANKING system?!

[@thegreatkamekus4524]

@@durandlewis1382 yes

[@Monochrome2004]

@@GlitchanBlack why do people hate the car? mario party 9 was my only mario party game

[@zeospark9715]

Funny that Mario Party 5 does have a plot twist of sorts: Bowser's dream is that he wanted to face a strong opponent and he got it after you beat him (which is weird considering how much he fights Mario lol)

[@skeetermania3202]

Similarly, in Galaxy 1, Bowser states that he enjoys fighting Mario.

[@knux333jw]

Even though Mario Party Superstars doesn't have a Story Mode, I like how it references the past stories of Mario Party games as canon to it. Through that book in the bonus section listing the past games. Although I wish it remembered the handheld games... if only so MP DS could get love.

[@mariobroultimate1808]

Despite the continuity nods though, they ignore the existence of Tumble and the Millenium Star. It's like their existence is retconned.

[@knux333jw]

@@mariobroultimate1808 No, because in the Superstars MP3 story description, the Millennium Star is mentioned by name. Unless you mean between games in general. Which yeah, there's not much continuity nods between the games themselves. They all do such different things lol.

[@mariobroultimate1808]

@@knux333jw So they mentioned him, yet they refused to include his official render in the credits.

[@knux333jw]

@@mariobroultimate1808 Why would his render be in the credits of Superstars? Like I said, what I'm talking about here is just a reference to that story. Nothing more. I don't disagree with how I wish MP games reffed older installments more though. The Koopa Kid erasure is sure blatant lol.

[@mariobroultimate1808]

@@knux333jw Yeah. They clearly want us to forget Koopa Kid existed. I don't mind that erasure honestly, because I think the existence of that character is kinda pointless.

[@Goomba1309]

I really wonder what Jamboree's story mode will be like, assuming it will even have one (which, considering it's been since Mario Party: Island Tour since we've had a story mode of any kind, may or may not be possible)

[@PiantapediaYT]

I think the online mode might just give them the idea that there is enough single player content as is

[@Nzcade]

Mario Party story modes were weird, lol.

[@mushboi6965]

I miss them

[@ShadowWizard224]

Mario Party 5 was the only one that I played story mode on

[@olivia6252]

Love seeing Mario Party DS get the love it deserves!! Those little boss battles were so hard when I was a kid

[@theAstarrr]

Great video! Here are timestamps to jump to where you are at: 0:01 Intro 0:40 N64 - Mario Party & SWITCH - Super Mario Party 1:20 N64 - Mario Party 2 2:31 N64 - Mario Party 3 5:06 GAMECUBE - Mario Party 4 6:18 GAMECUBE - Mario Party 5 7:31 GAMECUBE - Mario Party 6 8:41 GBA - Mario Party Advance 10:14 GAMECUBE - Mario Party 7 11:21 DS - Mario Party DS 12:38 WII - Mario Party 8 13:50 WII - Mario Party 9 14:24 3DS - Mario Party Island Tour 15:20 Overview / Final Thoughts 15:38 Well...Nintendo has been listening, looks like they tried to put in effort and not over rely on Nostalgia for Mario Party in 2024! 15:53 Outro

[@thegreatkamekus4524]

It legitimately pisses me off that MP10 has no story.

[@zeospark9715]

You seen that game's main menu mode? It's so lifeless just like MP10

[@thegreatkamekus4524]

@@zeospark9715 same

[@AlextheHomo]

Star Rush and The Top 100 also lack a story

[@thegreatkamekus4524]

@@AlextheHomo but 10 did it first

[@AlextheHomo]

@@thegreatkamekus4524 true

[@GlitchanBlack]

You have the audacity to drop Mario Party 3's plot twist and then NOT DO THE SAME THING FOR MARIO PARTY 5?

[@goldenyoshistar1]

10:01 Oh lets not forget about King Bob-omb and the fact that Bowser just creates Naval Piranha for science reasons

[@kirbymasterdeluxe]

Looking at the stories of Mario Party, I realize what’s happened. Newer games are events rather than stories. Any progression (if there is any) is second to the fact that “Hey, Mario’s hosting a party again!” Earlier stories, even the first one, had the overarching narrative as the main event, with the final board tying everything together. And given how big Mario Party became in the last decade, I think that isn’t changing any time soon.

[@emblemblade9245]

What happened is also that Mario Party is no longer made by Hudson

[@Werten25]

We need a story where Bowser (or another character) steals all of the world’s spaghetti and it’s up to Mario and company to stop him!!

[@rendumguy7596]

I noticed that all of the post Mario Party 8 games have no new characters, which is a little disappointing. Mario Party DS has the elderly Koopa though. He's a brand new character, and looks similar to a PM character.

[@magicvalgirl2309]

I really miss story modes in Mario Party and I hope Jamboree brings some of that back. I actually made a story mode of my own for my fan MP game (Mario Party: Fantasy) as an homage to the wild stories of the previous entries! Spoilers: the villain is not Bowser.

[@mariobroultimate1808]

Can you share it with us? I'd love to see!

[@magicvalgirl2309]

@mariobroultimate1808 it's unfortunately just a piece of paper, but I can write it here!: 1. Story: In a land far, far away, lies the wonderful Fantastar Kingdom, a kingdom powered by the brilliance of the Superstars, the greatest stars in existence! However, the malicious Roguevoid wanted to be the only Superstar in the kingdom after his wish, or "Fantasy" was rejected. Thus, he possesses the King of the Koopas to achieve his goal. The kingdom was plunged into darkness, but a citizen of the kingdom, Faefy, manages to escape to the Mushroom Kingdom, knowing they have the greatest stars necessary to defeat Roguevoid. After befriending Mario and friends, she tells them of the tragedy that had befallen upon her home. So, Mario and friends travel to Fantastar, but upon arrival, Roguevoid challenges them to a series of Mario Parties, which happen to be tradition in Fantastar, so he can determine which one of them is worthy of the title "Superstar" and fight him in the "Final Party". 1.5. The roster: a total of 16 playable characters will be featured in MPF, consisting of Mario, Luigi, Peaches, Daisy, Yoshi, Birdo, Toad, Toadette, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Rosalina, Luma, Wario, Waluigi, and Bowser and Bowser Jr. as unlockables. 2 beloved characters from a Mario RPG game will become DLC characters for the game's anniversary, alongside having their own board (note: if the Dream Stars from Paper Mario were hosts for MP5, why not have playable characters then?). 2. Gameplay & Gimics: The game plays as your traditional Mario Party game, with a grand total of 14 board, each themed after a certain character in the roster (excluding Luma and Diddy Kong, as they share theirs with Rosalina and Donkey Kong) and a pivotal point in their lives. The boards come to life through the Astral Gates, which embody the character the board is themed after (ex: Luigi -> Haunted Mansion board, because this was the first time Luigi played the role of hero to save Mario). There are 9 different game modes, 4 dedicated to traditional MP with different number of players (Bowser Party returns, but it's still normal MP, not like 10), and 5 dedicated to minigames. There is also a shop for costumes and sticker emotes you can use while playing (like Superstars), a theater mode for cutscenes, and a mode similar to the photo-op thing from MP10, but more like Data Greeting from Kingdom Hearts 3. 3. Hosts: Faefy is a ministar-like fairy creature and will be the default host of the game. However, Toadsworth, Lubba, and Prof. E. Gadd can also be hosts once the player completes certain missions, and Kamek serves as a surprise host after rescuing Bowser and Jr. in Story Mode or "Adventure Party" as it would be named. 4. Bosses: A possessed Bowser, Jr., and Koopalings will serves as bosses during MP game sessions, appearing as boss battles halfway through the game and at the end as the final minigame (in Free Play, you can turn on or off this gimmick if you want). There's a lot more to this game than what I just described, but if you want to figure out more, feel free to reply to this comment! Sorry if it was too long.

[@mariobroultimate1808]

@@magicvalgirl2309 What do Roguevoid and Faify look like?

[@magicvalgirl2309]

@mariobroultimate1808 Since they are from the same kingdom, they should look alike. They look similar to Sugarstar from Cookie Run: Tower of Adventures, but have a little star trail/tail and are color coded (Roguevoid is red and black, Faefy is light blue and white). Roguevoid is currently more monstrous-looking, similar to the Dark Lord from Miitopia or that one villain from Super Paper Mario. The plottwist to the game is that Faefy is his little sister.

[@OrbitalFrog_]

Fun fact: bowsers enchanted inferno is actually based on a location as well! Just head down to Florida to see what I mean.

[@PiantapediaYT]

😂

[@oldred890]

Tumble is not the melinium star, he just held it in his head.

[@theboyfromla3781]

Mario party DS had such a good overarching theme like all the mini games being mini versions was behond creative

[@galaxygerm1037]

Lotta the party games (mario party and the mario sports games) have bizarre stories. I mean mario super sluggers’ plot involves peach creating an island Specifically For Baseball and Bowser decides to take it over and thats. Ok. Tennis aces has Luigi get possessed by an evil demon tennis racket. Its like. Can yall not jus have fun? Mario kart doesnt need a story (kidding ofc i LOVE these weird lil stories. Mp8 has a soft spot in my heart bc the star rod comes from paper mario. Mpds is prolly my favorite tho) Also rlly funny theres an entire MP game thats only single player (advanced). Ik ppl r vv negative on that one but like it was on gba i kiiiiinda get why it was a solo campaign

[@Luigifan305]

Let's not forget that MP Advance also features Hulu (shown at 9:10 and 10:12 ), who is the ONLY confirmed female Shy Guy (or rather, Shy Gal) in the ENTIRE Mario franchise. As a side note, did you know that some of these story modes actually have canonical winners? For example, in MP3 it's Luigi. In the intro, he's the only one who keeps admiring the Millennium Star instead of arguing about it, so from the get go his intentions were the most noble. Plus he's also the only one without a specific stamp tied to him, and if you pick any other character he's always the one to take their place, making him the default, true intended protagonist of that particular game.

[@magicvalgirl2309]

Really!? Good for Luigi! Who are the other canonical winners of Mario Party?

[@Luigifan305]

Let's see, I know Luigi's win in MP3 has the most concrete evidence, but if I recall, MP1 was Wario, MP2 was Mario, and MP4 was Peach. 5 and 6 had canon winners too, but it was more complicated to determine so I don't remember for sure who they were. I 'think' 5 might have been Luigi again, and for 6 it was either Mario again, or maybe even Boo of all people.

[@magicvalgirl2309]

@@Luigifan305 I see! Thank you for the information!

[@flatwhitecanvas1658]

I can’t look at that boo with the ice cream that is bigger than he is and think that he doesn’t have a dream

[@rendumguy7596]

I noticed that all of the post Mario Party 8 games have no new characters, which is a little disappointing, since the hosts are stuff gave the games a unique identity. Mario Party DS has the elderly Koopa though. He's a brand new character, and looks similar to a PM character.

[@topdog23100]

Considering how many Mario Party games have Mario and his “friends” arguing, and how many minigames have them punch and/or kick each other off platforms, I begin to question if Mario really has friends at this point. If he did, he wouldn’t be arguing with them in so many games, and punching and kicking them for no reason in minigames, right?

[@gameomer1855]

Mario Party 5's story mode reminds me of the one from Sonic Shuffle

[@aranryan-9440]

The story modes are my favorite parts of these games. I appreciate that most of the games (cringes is superstars) have a solo campaign that usually allows you to unlock a board or characters. My personal favorite is the Star battle arena from 8, as the boards have all been significantly changed in one way or another.

[@ShadowWizard224]

Mario Party 5 is my personal favorite

[@mariobroultimate1808]

NDCube just doesn't care like Hudson did.

[@SilentMeteorite]

You get my like easily for being a Mario Party 7 fan, thank you for that

[@PiantapediaYT]

🫡

[@evanvliek7813]

Wow!! I never knew that the netherlands had its own board. It seems random, but i like it!!

[@McYoutubeMan]

Underrated gem 💎🗿

[@Talk_and_Reaction]

sir this is wendys lolz

[@plooper14]

Love your channel, dude

[@PiantapediaYT]

Thanks so much!

[@Luke-me8cf]

I remember finishing bowsers tower and being like… oh

[@sagacious03]

Fun analysis video! Thanks for uploading!

[@PiantapediaYT]

Thanks so much!

[@Daniel-td5gi]

But star rush did have a little story mode I guess I understand why you wouldn't count it but I technically exists

[@CakeKingYT]

Woah! This vid’s so good! You’ve earned a sub!

[@PiantapediaYT]

Thanks!

[@LazurBeemz]

I was pissed that MP4 makes you earn your own birthday presents, it made me hate the game as a kid. I should just get presents on my birthday, for free, without having to win them!!

[@user-mt8ys7uk6t]

I thought you had more subscribers for such quality vids

[@PiantapediaYT]

Thanks!

[@racinracerxp8645]

Oh cool new video

[@juanpablo.a]

mario party ds has the best story mode

[@butcherax]

7:03

[@NickReyes-vd2ke]

I really hope super Mario party jamboree has a much better story.

[@queenmiepje]

water is wet

[@ultraexcalibur1728]

Mario Party DS came after Mario Party 8. Also, I get the feeling you haven't actually played Mario Party 9 or barely played any of it. I get that the kart mechanic is inferior to having the players go on the board seperately but FFS THE GAME ISN'T BAD AT ALL! It's a hell of a lot better than 1, 4, 5 (although I do like it's story mode), 8 and 10. Saying the game has "no strategy" is just objectively wrong as there are many moments on the boards where you do strategize. Not to mention it has some of the best minigames in the entire series.